GagHalfrunt
Lifer
- Apr 19, 2001
- 25,297
- 2,001
- 126
first, 100% reliable is not attainable. Sure, you get people telling you all these stories about no problems for a bazillion miles, but look at the main streets of USA. Car shops all over, dealerships, etc.
Don't try to chase 100% anything.
Nobody is chasing 100% anything. It's all about the law of averages. For any vehicle, even a reliable make and model, there will be lemons. And for any vehicle, even pieces of shit, there will be outliers that never break. But you don't buy a Fiat and hope you're one of the lucky people on the right side of the reliability bell curve. The smart money buys a Honda, Toyota or Subaru because on average they're going to have FAR FAR FAR less problems than somebody who buys a Jeep, Chrysler or Chevy. You're not expecting NO problems when you buy a reliable car, you're expecting FEWER problems and that generally holds true. People who buy Hondas, Toyotas and Subarus have on average fewer problems than owners of other brands. They spend less on repairs and get stranded fewer times. That's the goal. 100% is unattainable, but 95% is and you're damn sure better off buying a car with a shot at 95% than one where 75% is more realistic.